Aphantastic Life: A Plea for Help
Donation protected
My name is Neal Hansen (AKA Christopher Neal McDaniel). I have aphantasia (AKA mind's eye blindness). I am attempting to raise $3,000 because I am desperate. I'm two months behind on rent, my car was repossessed (lost cause), and I just spent the last $3 I had on food. The irony of it is that if I can just hold out until classes start again in September, I have a teaching assistantship at UMass Amherst. Unfortunately, I'm too poor to make it through the summer and I haven't been able to find a job that comes remotely close to paying my bills.
Here is my situation: I'm very close to being evicted. Papers are being filed with an attorney on July 29th. If I'm evicted, I can't very well continue my studies (PhD candidate in music theory). I'm also 14 hours away from my closest relative, so if I'm evicted I don't know where I'll go.
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It took me a while to post this campaign because honestly I don't like the idea of begging for money from strangers. However, I came up with a plan that would allow me to offer something in return. I'm not asking for handouts. I'm asking for a second chance. I'm asking that people would remind me why I used to have so much hope in humanity. I'm asking you to help me tell my story.
That's what I am offering. My entire life has been a struggle. Aphantasia is just the tip of the iceberg for me. I also suffer from moderate retrograde amnesia, major depressive disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety. I was bullied as a child for being different, both in the way I thought and the way I looked. I struggled to adapt my way of thinking to teaching methods that were designed for people who could visualize. Now that I look back, I see how horribly narrowminded our educational system is.
Despite my tenacity, however, I have never imagined I would be alive for long. I am in a constant war with myself in my mind. Aphantasia and depression isolate me from the world. I have always felt disconnected. I have always felt "other".
Help me feel connected to the world.
Help me rediscover why I want to help the human race.
Help me become a better version of myself.
And for those of you who do help, I will reward you with what I write. The information is on the side, but either way I will be writing a blog to keep up with my ongoing attempt to reclaim my past and tell my story while I can.
Aphantastic Life
Part One: Growing Up Mind's Eye Blind (1-13)
Part Two: Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (14-18)
Part Three: TBA
P.S.: I hestitate to mention that it is also my 30th birthday on July 25th. Being evicted would be a terrible late birthday present.
Here is my situation: I'm very close to being evicted. Papers are being filed with an attorney on July 29th. If I'm evicted, I can't very well continue my studies (PhD candidate in music theory). I'm also 14 hours away from my closest relative, so if I'm evicted I don't know where I'll go.
__________________________________________________
It took me a while to post this campaign because honestly I don't like the idea of begging for money from strangers. However, I came up with a plan that would allow me to offer something in return. I'm not asking for handouts. I'm asking for a second chance. I'm asking that people would remind me why I used to have so much hope in humanity. I'm asking you to help me tell my story.
That's what I am offering. My entire life has been a struggle. Aphantasia is just the tip of the iceberg for me. I also suffer from moderate retrograde amnesia, major depressive disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety. I was bullied as a child for being different, both in the way I thought and the way I looked. I struggled to adapt my way of thinking to teaching methods that were designed for people who could visualize. Now that I look back, I see how horribly narrowminded our educational system is.
Despite my tenacity, however, I have never imagined I would be alive for long. I am in a constant war with myself in my mind. Aphantasia and depression isolate me from the world. I have always felt disconnected. I have always felt "other".
Help me feel connected to the world.
Help me rediscover why I want to help the human race.
Help me become a better version of myself.
And for those of you who do help, I will reward you with what I write. The information is on the side, but either way I will be writing a blog to keep up with my ongoing attempt to reclaim my past and tell my story while I can.
Aphantastic Life
Part One: Growing Up Mind's Eye Blind (1-13)
Part Two: Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (14-18)
Part Three: TBA
P.S.: I hestitate to mention that it is also my 30th birthday on July 25th. Being evicted would be a terrible late birthday present.
Organizer
Neal F. Hansen
Organizer
Amherst, MA
